Patient Education Term Category: Foot and Ankle Injuries

Sports and sports training can cause injuries to the feet due to impact, sudden movements, repetitive motions, overuse, and constrictive footwear. Running, walking, and impact aerobic exercise or activities can be particularly jarring to the feet. Aerobic impacts can result in forces of up to six times the force of gravity; these impacts commonly cause […]

Shin splints, a common condition, happen when the muscles or tendons surrounding the leg bone become inflamed, irritated, and painful, which can result from overuse, a collapsing arch, stress fractures in the lower leg bones, or imbalance between opposite leg muscle groups. They frequently occur in runners and dancers. Shin splints can be treated with […]

The posterior tibial tendon is an important leg tendon that attaches the calf muscle to the inside foot bones, keeping the arch in its position and providing support when walking. The tendon commonly becomes torn or inflamed due to overuse, high-impact sports, and falls, which can result in flatfoot, instability, and decreased arch support over […]

Peroneal tendons are also known as stirrup tendons because they run parallel along the outer ankle bone, attaching to the inside and outside of the foot near the arch. Their function is to stabilize the ankle and foot. Injury to the peroneal tendons can occur suddenly during sports such as football, basketball, and soccer, or […]

Osteochondromas occur underneath the toenail when benign bone tumors form in that area, typically after injury. Most common in children and young adults, osteochondromas account for approximately 50% of all benign bone tumors. Most of the time, osteochondromas do not cause pain; however, discomfort can result if they irritate surrounding tissue. If osteochondromas deform the […]

Osteochondritis is stiffness, swelling, and pain in the ankle joint due to lesions or fractures that form on the joint surface as a result of previous twisted-ankle injuries. Osteochondritis can affect persons of any age. Symptoms of osteochondritis resemble those of an ankle sprain, such as swelling, pain, and a difficult time putting weight on […]

There are many bones in the human foot, some of which are very small. In fact, almost 25% of the body’s bones are housed in the feet. Thankfully, a fractured, or broken toe or forefoot bone is usually not serious or disabling. However, foot bone fractures are still painful and require proper diagnoses and treatment. […]

A broken ankle occurs when one or more of the three bones that make up the ankle is fractured. Aside from a broken bone, a patient diagnosed with a broken ankle might also suffer from injuries to the connecting tissues or ligaments in the ankle, as well as the two ankle joints. Since ankle sprains […]

When the ankle bones twist or receive too much force, the ligaments surrounding the outside of the bones may suffer from over-stretching or tearing, resulting in a painful ankle sprain. There are different levels of severity when it comes to ankle sprains, and if the sprain is not properly diagnosed and treated, it can cause […]